Adding fishes to my tank.

[aqua_guy]

I have this new F/W 50 gallon tank of which i have successfully maintained over the last few months. I think about 3 months. I have been wanting to add colorful fishes in the tank but have been successful only in finding cichlids. So currently i have 2 Blue Zebras, 1 electric blue, 1 blue ice, 1 yellow prince, 1 jewel, 2 cichlids that has two horizontal stripes (i forgot the name), 2 white parrot fish, 2 tangerines and 2 double swordtail fish. The swordtails are not cichlids i know but they are more into the tetra families but they blend well with the cichlids and the cichlids don't do them any harm so i think they have been accepted as a part of the cichlid community tank that i have. hehehehehe.

Now i have been looking around at various tanks in the fish shop especially the community tanks. I have noticed that clown loaches have been placed together with cichids. So i'm planning to have them by next month when my money comes out. I know that discuss and angel fishes are part of the cichlid family but have not seen any tanks that has cichlids, discuss and angel fishes. I am planning to experiment on one. Do you think i can place them in accordingly? cichlids, discuss, angel fishes and clown loaches? The fish that i have ranges from 1.5 - 2 inches in length as of now.

and can you suggest any other colorful fish in my tank?

 

[Fruitbat]

aqua_guy

You have an interesting combination of fish in that tank. Most of the ones you already have are African Rift Lake cichlids (except for the Jewel which is an African cichlid that is mostly found in rivers). Those Rift Lake cichlids need hard, alkaline water to be at their best and are generally very aggressive and territorial. What are your water parameters in that tank? What kind of substrate are you using?

Angel Fish and Discus are not good choices for this tank. Both are South American cichlids that need completely different water conditions than the fish you already have. In addition, the Angel Fish and Discus both prefer less aggressive tank-mates and will not get along at all with your Africans. I would NOT 'experiment' with Angels and Discus in that tank....the experiment is almost assuredly doomed to failure!

As a matter to consider....you probably already have enough fish in that tank. The cichlids you have are going to grow and adding many more fish will result in overcrowding and all of the problems that brings. Instead of clown loaches you might think about adding a couple of Synodontis cats. They come in a multitude of colors and patterns and are native to the same lakes as your African cichlids. Research them carefully before you buy, however. Some species of Synodontis grow quite large!

 

[AJ]

I would agree. I don't know much about angels but all the research I've done on discus show they need pretty specific water conditions and will waste away in anything other than extremely soft, acid water. The African cichlids are at the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Not to mention that the discus are generally peaceful cichlids and will not win out against the Africans. They are too expensive to experiment with. Please don't try this.

 

[BrianNY]

Amen to that AJ!! Discus and Angels would not be an experiment. Would be a sacrifice.

 

[tkos]

Discus need perfect water conditions to survive and need a super peaceful tank. Angels like water similar to tetras as this si the fish they mostly eat.

If you wanted to add any fish I would have to say some extra swordtails (which do fine in hard water) as these are a community fish. Or else some SAE or Flying Fox might be helpful.

You better get really heavy filtration though as cichlids are super messy fish and water quality is really important.

 

[aqua_guy]

i think i should refrain from placing discus in because of the peace issues. Yeh you are all right that those African Rift Cichlids are very territorials especially those white parrot fishes. I am quite amazed that the swordtails survived though. i think i would add more of them and upgrade my tank to 150 gallons to resolve the space issue because of the quick growth. I added three marble angels last week ago and they are doing good. i think they know how to defend themselves. They have no btes whatsoever and i've seen them confront some of the cichlids. The Blue Ice is quite aggressive and i have seen the Angel fight with it and the Blue Ice backs out. So i think the Angels could take care of themselves. They are pretty to look at with the cichlids because of the variety of the size. Though i would be careful not to place discus's in there. I would be planning to have another tank instead for them.

This is another issue for me to take in. I would like to have another tank about 150 gallons. What substrate, aeration and filtration would you suggest? I am planning this to be a planted tank with discus and cories. Please suggest fishes suited for the community tank i am about to make.

 

[nguyen27]

Speaking of differ tank enviroment, I got severals Severum, 1 jewels, 1 eletric yellow and one albino cichlid and they all seem to get along pretty well, to keep these type of mix, I'll go with a 7.5PH, and everyone should be happy!

 

[Allivymar]

aqua_guy:

Yes, so far things are going ok. Angelfish CAN survive in harder water, and have even been known to breed in a pH of 8. That being said, they are built for softer water parameters. They may survive fine in the harder water, but it doesn't mean they are at their best, will live their full life span or be as healthy as they can be. Also, the Africans will kick the poo out of the Angels once they start reaching breeding age. You may want to have a backup tank ready for when you'll need to pull those angels.

As for your planned discus/cory tank, I would leave it at that. Maybe some neons or cardinals well, but frankly discus can be so tetchy, its better to not expose them to too many other fish and the possible diseases they can carry. Also, you'll want really good filtration with the discus, although I think you'll want to avoid carbon (BrianNY may be able to address this better then I). Even with good filtration, frequent water changes are a must; every 2-3 days is suggested.

 

[aqua_guy]

Thanks, i think the discus tank is not nearly in its way. I have researched about the discus and keeping them based on what i have read is a very tiring job. Though i am fascinated in looking at one of the tanks in a local store. I am researching to about the cichlid tank. i have two tanks and maybe i'll have the angels on a the much smaller tank ( 20 gals. ) and i have noticed that one of my swordtail dissapeared. I think it hid itself because i didn't see the corpse floating. or is it completely eaten? sigh..... but anyways, i think i wont be adding more fishes not until i am to upgrade it to a good 150 - 300 gals. tank.


How do you maintain a crystal clear water just like this tank i saw.I am posting the picture on my gallery so everyone can see it. I like to make a tank just like that one.

 

[BrianNY]

That is a great looking tank. I marvel at how white substrate is. As far as water clarity, I use a diatom filter weekly on all my tanks. It filters particles up to and including 1 micron and actually polishes the water. Good luck

 

[aqua_guy]

This is the setup for the tank in my gallery. I just wanted to ask if anything is wrong with this setting.


Filtration: Fluval 304/Rio 1700 w/spongefilter
Air Pump: TetraTec AP200, Bubble Tube Wall
Heater: Hagen Thermal Compact 300W
Lighting: 1-48" Coralife Actinic Blue w/Polished Reflector Hood and a 10K and a 50/50 on a double light bulb
Substrate: 60 lbs crushed coral
Rocks: Holey Rock


Temperature: 79° pH: 8.4 gH: 17 kH: 10 Nitrate Level: 0 ppm


Assorted, hand picked Lake Malawi Mbuna and Lake Victoria